If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

I think I saw a post sometime ago at one of the earlier CTA that he only supported the Vanu or something. But then again, it was someone posting about something he saw and now I am posting about the second guy posting, so if it's tru or not I am not sure. But at least it is a rumour.....

Ok. Been thinking awhile, but couldn't get to conlcusion why. So question to all RTRSers. Why do we not participate as much in NCTO ops?
Also, we do not have such small numbers, we can field more than one squad, but issue is, why are we so inconsistent at playtimes? Guessing mostly because, there are other games to play.
It might be just me, but I'm getting tired of running around like a lone wolf sometimes and wish for some squad play, which isn't always fully delivered on Freedom Fridays. FF is fun, but I still lack something. Mostly probably because even having a full squad on non FF days is a rare sight, least for me.
I'll try to circumvent this issue I have myself, but I might end up leaving RTRS and only joining you for casual friday fun. But first I'll try to see, if I can take up DL's offer to join them on their mumble and run with them in squads as a guest, rather than just leaving this.
So that's my question and plan laid out.

Part of the issue is the relatively small number of active players - this results in a self-reinforcing cycle where people aren't ingame as much as there aren't many people ingame at peak times, resulting in fewer people ingame... which is what I believe Bastiat is describing.

This is where being a member of the NCTO should come in, by maybe pairing up with a larger or more active outfit whose squads we could join when there are only a couple of us online. Bankrotas, I know you're making enquiries with DL already - if they're willing to extend this to other members of RTRS then that would be awesome of them. I'd certainly be interested in an arrangement along those lines.

Plus our internet is bad again and if I find out the person whose room the network gear's in has put something on top of the modem, despite me telling them this was the issue, I'll be annoyed. Although I never checked to see if she knew which one the modem was. Doh!

Personally I do have one other game on the go (The Witcher at the moment) but I also tend to game a little less in the lighter, warmer summerish months as well. Training for some high-altitude shenanigans is going to be starting pretty soon for me as well.

I spent so long retyping that after my internet connection effectively deleted the first one that I missed Bankrotas's post. Argh!

Bankrotas, I am indeed interested.

Talked with DL officer, I think, and I'm now waiting PM from him for mumble details. We'll just have to ask on their mumble for an invite to the squad and we should be getting one.
I'll be sending details of mumble server over PM, so that they wouldn't be leaked. They want to have their mumble private and I have no intention announcing it's information publicly.

Yeah. Speak of CtA, any chance of talking to Jim about organising one for us? The last one was very much Vanu and we wound up organising something through NCTO as opposed to RPS.

Jim plays with the Vanu and, to some extent, I'm sure the main motivation for the CtA events is to rally a lot of Vanu so that he can have a good game (particularly in light of the drop in Vanu numbers in the last couple of months till their recent boost). I think he's been very judicious in trying to mention the NC outfit in his posts and trying to encourage people to play with both. However, I think we need to accept that personally his allegiance is to the Vanu outfit and so he doesn't really have the motivation to expend time and effort on our outfit.

Originally Posted by mickygor

Most of the outfit isn't interested in recruiting anyone else.

I think part of the character of our outfit is that we are very relaxed and easy-going, more interested in being a good squad or two getting stuck into a good fight than trying to be some hyper-organised mega-outfit with a lot of people. I certainly am aware of Ayam speaking before about how he would prefer having a few good people that fit-in with the character of the outfit than trying to recruit a horde of people and change what the outfit is like. The downside to this is we just don't have the numbers to sustain a basic squad of people on an ongoing basis. This leads into...

Originally Posted by Bankrotas

Ok. Been thinking awhile, but couldn't get to conlcusion why. So question to all RTRSers. Why do we not participate as much in NCTO ops?
Also, we do not have such small numbers, we can field more than one squad, but issue is, why are we so inconsistent at playtimes? Guessing mostly because, there are other games to play.

Speaking to the second point, PS2 is still the focus of my gaming and I log in each day (even if only to collect certs and look a sales). However, I don't have the time to play all evening as my personal life has been particularly busy lately. As such I tend to play pretty late on (after 10pm UK) when I've got everything else done that I need to do and so only tend to see the late guard if anyone.

I've always made a big effort to attend Freedom Fridays as this is a set event with set start time. In fact, while I'm going to miss Freedom Friday this week, I think this is the first I've completely missed since the game went live. Knowing that there is a particular start time and a likelihood of people being around for this is pretty helpful for making it along.

So what time do people play on weekdays and at weekends?
Maybe if we highlighted a particular time (say an hour, at max 2 hours) as 'squad-play time' on weekdays and weekends we might have people making more of an effort to get along for that?
Obviously not everyone will always be free at these times but for those that have some flexibility, it might be a push to make it along at that point rather than turning up randomly later and finding nobody else around.

As to NCTO ops, I've wondered this myself.
It seems that the main ops were running on a Sunday night when I'm often not free but I've not really heard of anything lately (aside from our race against JNJ).
Again, if I was more aware of particular ops I'd probably make more of an effort to join them (if I was able).

Originally Posted by Bankrotas

Ok, might have some good news for people, who would want some more squad play with DL. Who might be interested?

In theory I would be interested, with the caveat that I wouldn't necessarily be around at a useful time for this unless someone was able to highlight a particular time I could bookmark for it.

Jim plays with the Vanu and, to some extent, I'm sure the main motivation for the CtA events is to rally a lot of Vanu so that he can have a good game (particularly in light of the drop in Vanu numbers in the last couple of months till their recent boost). I think he's been very judicious in trying to mention the NC outfit in his posts and trying to encourage people to play with both. However, I think we need to accept that personally his allegiance is to the Vanu outfit and so he doesn't really have the motivation to expend time and effort on our outfit.

Jim doesn't organise the CtA, he just announces it. I just think it would be more successful for us if he would announce one without the Vanu involved because invariably everyone flocks to the larger outfit, which is self perpetuating. He didn't mention us in the last CtA, either, and neither did the CtA thread.

Originally Posted by Dr.Evanzan

I think part of the character of our outfit is that we are very relaxed and easy-going, more interested in being a good squad or two getting stuck into a good fight than trying to be some hyper-organised mega-outfit with a lot of people. I certainly am aware of Ayam speaking before about how he would prefer having a few good people that fit-in with the character of the outfit than trying to recruit a horde of people and change what the outfit is like. The downside to this is we just don't have the numbers to sustain a basic squad of people on an ongoing basis.

Well yes, but we can't even muster 2 squads in CtA or NCTO ops. We didn't even manage a full squad for the NCTO race, we had to get 2 giraffes over. This level of play I can get from BF3, which since it's what BF3 is designed for would be more rewarding on that game. I like that we're a close knit community, but really, it's making me feel like I'm not playing the game how it should be played.

NCTO ops usually are quite detailed on their forums actually with plans and participants, they do them Fridays and sundays for the moment, more in those forums.

Yes, I should look at the NCTO forums now I have access.
I signed up at the forums before we were officially an outfit (on the forum) and have only got full access recently.

Originally Posted by mickygor

Well yes, but we can't even muster 2 squads in CtA or NCTO ops. We didn't even manage a full squad for the NCTO race, we had to get 2 giraffes over. This level of play I can get from BF3, which since it's what BF3 is designed for would be more rewarding on that game. I like that we're a close knit community, but really, it's making me feel like I'm not playing the game how it should be played.

Certainly, and I agree that this is a problem.
I was only seeking to explain the situation rather than defend it.

What do you think would help with this beyond an NC CtA (which, as I said, I don't think is likely to happen)?
Do you think my suggestion of specific 'squad-play times' would help?

During the week yes I think specific times would help. I quite liked inverselaw's open platoon on sundays, also - in fact he started that the weekend I'd considered starting it. Perhaps we could reboot that too.

Ncto this friday people, I wont say where, but there is an op. Be online for 7 o'clock-ish

I have discussed increasing numbers at length with Ayam and other officers (Bank). At the moment, we have covered most avenues of recruitment, we have this forum, Ayams videos, a recruitment topic on the ps2 forums. If anyone has another place we could try, say so!

Although joining DL looks interesting, in a way it does not solve the core problem. We need some new blood in the outfit. Any ideas for this? Or we stay like this and start joining other outfits ops?

This is pretty much what I would've posted straight after my last one (if my internet hadn't died on its arse until literally five minutes ago) but with an added concern that a couple of people joining DL, and maybe not showing up in RTRS Mumble as a result, might make any player numbers problem worse. Anyone in the DL squad would perhaps need to keep an eye on how many other outfit members were online and be prepared to switch back to the RTRS squad if numbers picked up.

There was a time recently when I was the only person online in the outfit and doing my thing, then when I came to log off found that there were three other people online but not in Mumble so I hadn't noticed when they had logged in. Now, I assume that when people log on but don't join Mumble that they want to chill out and do their own thing, or are some outfit members just unaware of the Mumble server / these forums?

Evanzan: your point about knowing when other people are likely to be online is a very good one - I won't repeat your whole post but some set(ish) squad play time would provide a nice bit of structure for people to work around. I'm going to have a think about the times I'm usually free.

Waffly: nothing you've said indicates you feel this way, but please don't take anything I say as some kind of personal critique. Generally speaking I'd love to recruit some friends but I somehow manage to hang out with people who have zero interest in PC gaming.

Bastiat: watch out for those Openreach modems - mine's one of an old faulty batch, so yours should be okay, but I've just had to move it as it was overheating... again. In BT's defence I will say that the Home Hub has been pretty solid.

A few certs out for my Aegis Shield, can't wait to lead the charge; I think the new VS Max ability seems pretty intimidating, not sure if a shield is going to be that useful over such raw firepower, but at least I can pretend to be a medieval knight.